Lydenburg Head, c. 500-700 CE.
Eastern Transvaal, South Africa.
Clay, traces of white pigment, and specularite,
38 x 26 x 25.5 cm.
University of Cape Town Collection,
South African Museum, Cape Town.
Seven fired earthenware heads, named after the site
where they were discovered, were reconstructed
from unearthed fragments which were dated using
the radiocarbon method to the 6th century CE.
According to later excavations which confirmed this
date, it seems that the heads were intentionally
hidden when they weren’t in use.
Moulded pieces of clay for the unique facial
features. All of the heads have cowrie-like eyes,
wide mouths, notched ridges that may represent
cicatrisation, and raised bars across the forehead
and temple which define the hairline. Of the seven
heads, two of them are large enough to be worn as
helmets and are surmounted by animal figurines,
while the other five have a hole on either side of the
neck which was likely used to attach them to a
costume or structure.
While their actual use continues to be a mystery,
archeologists have suggested that they were likely
used during initiation rituals as in during the rites of
enactment which signified the transition to a new
social status or membership into an exclusive group.